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Frances Cornford
Frances Crofts Cornford (March 30, 1886 - August 19, 1960) was an English poet, "perhaps known chiefly, and unfairly, for the sadly comic poem 'To a Fat Lady Seen from a Train'”."Frances Cornford," Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica.com, Web, Sep. 25, 2011. Life She was born Frances Crofts Darwin, the daughter of Ellen Crofts and botanist Francis Darwin, into the Darwin - Wedgwood family. She was a granddaughter of naturalist Charles Darwin. Her elder half-brother was golf writer Bernard Darwin. She was raised in Cambridge, among a dense social network of aunts, uncles, and cousins, and was educated privately.Period Piece, a memoir by Frances Cornford's first cousin and close friend, Gwen Raverat, sheds much light on Cornford's childhood. In 1909, Frances Darwin married Francis Cornford, a classicist and poet. They had 5 children: *Helena (b. 1913) *John (1915-1936), a poet and Communist who was killed in the Spanish Civil War. *Christopher (1917-1993), an artist and writer *Clare, who became the mother of Matthew Chapman *Hugh Frances Cornford published several books of verse, including Poems (1910), Spring Morning (1915), Autumn Midnight (1923), and Different Days (1928). Some of her books, including Spring Morning and Mountains and Molehills (1935), were illustrated with woodcuts by Cornford's cousin Gwen Raverat. Cornford is buried at the Parish of the Ascension Burial Ground in Cambridge. Writing All Soul's Night by Cornford was a favorite of Philip Larkin and his lover Maeve Brennan. The poem uses the superstition that a dead lover will appear to a still faithful partner on the festival of All Souls', November 2. After Larkin's death, Brennan would re-read the poem every November 2:John Ezard, "Revealed: Larkin, the tender lover," The Guardian, October 15, 1999. Web, Nov. 2, 2019. My love came back to me Under the November tree Shelterless and dim. He put his hand upon my shoulder, He did not think me strange or older, Nor I him. Although the poem is enhanced by the myth, it can also be read simply as the meeting of ex-lovers. Recognition Cornford was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1959. Publications Poetry *''The Holtbury Idyll''. 1908?"Frances Cornford, The Holtbury Idyll," Bookride, February 5. 2013. Blogspot, Web, June 22, 2014. * Poems. London: Priory Press / Cambridge, UK: Bowes & Bowes, 1910. *''Spring Morning'' (illustrated by G. Raverat). London: Poetry Bookshop, 1915. *''Autumn Midnight''. London: Poetry Bookshop, 1923. *''Different Days''. London: Hogarth Press. 1928. *''Mountains and Molehills''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1934. *''Travelling Home, and other poems''. London: Cresset Press, 1948. *''Collected Poems''. London: Cresset Press, 1954. *''On a Calm Shore'' (edited by Christopher Cornford). London: Cresset Press, 1960. *''Selected Poems'' (edited by Jane Dowson). London: Enitharmon Press, 1996. *''Ten Poems'' (edited by Jenny Swann). Nottingham, UK: Candlestick, 2008. Play *''Death and the Princess: A morality. Cambridge, UK: Bowes & Bowes, 1912. Translated *''Poems from the Russian (with Esther Polianowsky Salaman). London: Faber, 1943. *Paul Eluard, The Dour Desire to Endure [Dur désir de durer] (translated with Stephen Spender; illustrated by Marc Chagall). Philadelphia: Grey Falcon Press, 1950. *''Fifteen Poems from the French''. Edinburgh: Tragara Press, 1976. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Frances Cornford, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Feb. 1, 2014. Poems by Frances Cornford #The Guitarist Tunes Up See also *List of British poets References External links ;Poems *"The Coast: Norfolk" *"Pre-Existence" *3 poems by Cornford: "All Souls' Night," "The Poplar in August," "Autumn Evening" *Cornford in A Book of Women's Verse: "Autumn Evening," "Autumn Morning at Cambridge," "The Watch" *Frances Darwin Cornford at PoemHunter (15 poems) *Frances Darwin Cornford at Poetry Nook (145 poems) ;Books *''Frances Cornford: Selected poems'' at Amazon.com *Bibliography ;About *Frances Cornford in the Encyclopaedia Britannica *Frances Crofts Darwin Cornford at Find a Grave ;Etc. * Category:1886 births Category:1960 deaths Category:Darwin-Wedgwood family Category:English poets Category:Women poets Category:English women writers Category:20th-century poets Category:Poets Category:English-language poets Category:20th-century women writers